RICHMOND, Va. -- Violent crime in Richmond is down six percent when 2019 crime statistics are compared to the same time period in 2018.
But some people might find those numbers a bit deceiving. Despite an overall lower crime rate, there has been dramatic increases in shootings.
As of August 12, 2019, there have been 37 homicides in Richmond. At the same time last year, the city saw 32.
Richmond Police have investigated 191 shootings in the city, an increase of 41 shootings recorded between January and August 2018.
The increase is staggering, according to experts, and one neighborhood especially hard-hit was Richmond's Mosby Court community.
Murders, shootings, and even acar crashes due to shots being fired, have plagued the East End of Richmond, particularly Redd Street in Mosby Court. The bloodshed has gotten the attention of Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney.
"We are seeing certain neighborhoods who always see this type of violence, and seeing it even more in 2019,” Mayor Stoney said Monday. “It's my hope that as the summer fades away that we can get back to some stability in our neighborhoods."
"Some of our neighborhoods have been inundated with illegal weapons,” the mayor added. “This is something not just in Richmond, but Washington, D.C. is seeing an uptick. These weapons getting into the wrong hands, people doing the wrong thing, is what is most concerning."
The violence is not gender-specific; men and women are both victims of the violence, tearing families apart one shooting at a time.
Just this past weekend, eight people were shot in about a 12-hour span.
